An Unusual Tale
Story brought to us by Ian from Welcome to My World and Aussie Emu.
The Time a Fighter Pilot Ejected Into a Thunderstorm and Rode the Lightning
Marine Corps Lt. Col. William H. Rankin had flown combat flight operations in both World War II and the Korean War, but it wasn’t enemy fire that came closest to killing him during his military flying career. It was a summer thunderstorm over the east coast of the United States.
On July 26, 1959 Rankin and his wingman, 1st Lt. Herbert Nolan, were flying a pair of F-8 Crusaders from South Weymouth, Mass back to their home base at Beaufort, S.C. when they encountered a line of severe thunderstorms over North Carolina. Shortly after the fighters climbed up to 47,000 feet to go over the growing cumulonimbus clouds, Rankin heard a loud grinding noise followed by a loss of power from the jet’s only engine. About that time the jet’s fire warning light illuminated.
Rankin tried pulling the auxiliary power handle but it came off in his hand. He tried to restart the engine several times but had no luck. At that point, with the fighter in an uncontrollable dive and going nearly supersonic, he knew he only had one option left. He keyed the radio and matter-of-factly told his wingman he “had to eject” and then pulled the handle.
The senior Marine pilot wasn’t wearing a pressure suit, so as soon as he hit the surrounding atmosphere at that altitude his body was put through the ringer. The sudden decompression caused his stomach to swell, his ears, nose and mouth to bleed. The ejection tore his left glove from his hand, leaving it exposed to the brutally cold air. His skin immediately froze, which resulted in numbness and severe frostbite.
But things were about to get worse. In his memoir, The Man Who Rode the Thunder, Rankin describes his free fall like this:
I became conscious of my body tumbling, spinning, and cartwheeling through space. I spun like a pinwheel, my limbs trying to go in every possible direction at once. I spun on the vertical, diagonal and horizontal axis. I felt the enormous pulling, stretching effects of g forces. I was a huge stiff blob of helplessness! I recognized that my body was literally spreadeagled and the force was so great I could not move my hands or legs. Several times I tried to bring my arms in to my body but it was like pulling on a stone wall. The effect of the g forces on my arms and legs must have been to multiply their weight many times.
During his fall Rankin managed to strap his oxygen mask to his face, which was a crucial element if he was going to survive his ordeal. From his training he knew that it would take about three and a half minutes to fall from just under 50,000 feet to 10,000 feet where his parachute was designed to automatically deploy. He looked at his watch and saw that more than four minutes had gone by. He figured his ejection seat automatic chute mechanism had malfunctioned, so he manually deployed it.
But Rankin’s seat hadn’t malfunctioned. His descent had simply been slowed by massive updrafts created by the thunderstorm next to him, and as soon as his chute opened another powerful updraft filled it and rocketed him several thousand feet vertically a velocity of nearly 100 mph. Lightning flashed all around in what he later described as “blue blades several feet thick” and the thunder boomed so loudly he feared it would burst his eardrums. Rain pelted him from all directions. He felt like he was going to drown.
When he reached the top of the thunderstorm the updraft turned into a downdraft. It was totally dark as he was pulled into the center of the thunder cloud, and he plummeted downward at a rate he was sure would prevent his chute from opening. But his chute did open once he was under the storm, and as it did he caught another updraft that catapulted him back to the top of the cloud. Once at the top he was dragged back into the center of the storm and thrown as if by Thor himself toward the ground again.
Rankin was repeatedly buffeted through this cycle . . . a living hell he feared might never end. In The Man Who Rode the Thunder he describes what was going through his mind at that time:
There were times when I felt I might die of sheer exhaustion because it seemed as if either the storm might never end, or I was going to be swept along with it on its insane journey up the coast for as long as that journey might take—hours, days. This feeling was most intense when I decided to look at my watch and glimpsed the time during a flash of lightning. At first I thought what a wonderful thing it was not to have lost my watch all through ejection, decompression, blasts of air, and now this; and, then, what a silly thing, looking at the time! But when I saw that it was twenty minutes past six, I thought: My God, you should have been on the ground at least ten minutes ago! You are really trapped. You are really in the pattern of the storm and a part of it, a speck of human dust, up-over-and-down, up-over-and-down and that’s the way it’s going to be. But how long? For how long?
Finally the storm dissipated enough that he wasn’t dragged back up after shooting through it, and he was unceremoniously blown into a thicket of brush in the middle of a field near Ahoskie, N.C. He was wet and beat to hell and had to draw on his survival skills to make it through the dark to a dirt road where — after being passed by a number of vehicles that refused to stop — someone was finally kind enough to take him to the nearest hospital.
Colonel Rankin spent about 3 weeks in the hospital recovering from severe decompression shock, welts, bruising, and other superficial wounds. He eventually returned to flight status.
In 2009 he died of natural causes at the age of 89.
Here’s a video about his harrowing ordeal:
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Military Humor – S.N.A.F.U.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Farewell Salutes –
Millard Arthur – Sun City, AZ; US Navy, WWII, ETO, Chief Petty Officer
Robert Beranger – Winchester, MA; US Army, WWII
Bob Foster – Fort Wayne, IN; US Army, WWII, ETO, Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Raymond Garcia – Banning, CA; US Navy, WWII/ USCG
William Holliday – Whitianga, NZ; British Army, WWII
Piara Lalli – India & CAN; CBI, WWII
Jerry Lee Patrick – Eustis, FL; US Army, Vietnam, KIA
James Sneath – Blackwell, OK; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 188th Reg./11th A/B Division
Alfred Burke Thompson II – Penetanguishene, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII, ETO, POW
Marlan Turner – Cheyenne, WY; US Army, Korea, 187th RCT
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Posted on August 11, 2015, in Current News, First-hand Accounts, Uncategorized and tagged Airborne, aviation, Bail-out, History, Military, Military History, Rankin, Survival, Tributes, USA, veterans. Bookmark the permalink. 96 Comments.
What a story. Lucky doesn’t even begin to describe his survival after being tossed around so much. It’s amazing what the human body can endure.
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Isn’t THAT the truth! And to think – this is ME…..
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Ha! Perhaps the comic could use one minor change: “Need ASAP!” should be “Needed YESTERDAY!” 🙂
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Very true!!
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That guy had an angel on his shoulder .
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You said it! I think a few more to prop him up too!!
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Hi friend ! Could you send me your email address please? anne.t.bell@gmail.com
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I’m sorry Anne, but I can not comply. It is a very long story and I will not bore you with it, but I would never receive your email. I hope this does not intrude into our friendship.
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Of course not! Does that include your name? I can’t remember when
I mailed you the booklet! You are a terrific kind, gentle, thoughtful friend!
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I appreciate that, Anne, I really do. But, things got out of hand and it wasn’t fair to the others using this same computer for business purposes. In the interest of family harmony – a compromise had to be met.
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Ok, PP friend!
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Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner and commented:
Awesome story. Thank you for sharing this.
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Thank you. And to think it took Ian, an Australian, to bring this story to my attention!!
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That forty minutes must have felt like months of hell! Simply amazing that he survived.
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It HAD to be!! He must of assumed it was the end of himself.
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Wow! What an amazing story to dine out on! He was definitely a survivor. 🙂
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Wasn’t his time to go, eh? Miracles do happen!
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An amazing story of survival! Thanks for sharing.
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You are very welcome, Tiny.
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I don’t want to upstage my mate Ian but there is another incident that is worth the trouble. The story is about the top paraglider (female) in the world who got sucked into a massive storm and survived. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEpKNla63Kw
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Incredible story of survival. Sad that the man didn’t make it through, but understandable! Eva free-falling, covered in ice, going in circles!! The human body can definitely endure much more than we give it credit for!
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GP. So often I have posted a link to something that really affects me and I get few responses. But man, you always come through. I am so glad you watched it. The whole story brought tears to my eyes. I’m glad you saw it.
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It was my pleasure – actually a bit horrifying, but good to watch.
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Guess we never know what we will do in extreme situations. He was a brave soul taking a roller coaster ride through a thunder storm. He deserved to live to 89.
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It was a harrowing experience, but much better than the alternative of going down with the plane, I suspect. You’re right, Bev – he deserved a long life.
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Fascinating and surreal. What a brave and determined individuals earning was.
Thanks for the Remembrance log.
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Surreal – that’s the word I’ve been looking for – thanks. Appreciate your visit.
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Al I can say is… WOW! What a wild ride! And lived to tell of it!
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I keep saying the same word – AMAZING!!
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WOW! Bet he never took up skydiving for a hobby.
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I had to crack up when I read this comment, Don. Good one!!
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Amazing! 🙂 I’m so glad he survived and we can hear his story!
HUGS!!! 🙂
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If this were fiction, I don’t even know what genre it would be classified in! But, he survived to tell the tale of (many) a lifetime!
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What can you say the story tells it all. I was glued to the screen as I read this one wow what a experience . Thank God he survived.
Peace GP
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Isn’t it something beyond the ordinary?! It’s HOW he survived that got me!!
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This fellow had nerves of steel and a will to survive. He also had a divine intervention with God I believe, just the fact that he was able to keep it together and survive. Amazing! GP
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I figured it went to prove that his number just hadn’t come up yet – so yes – I agree about the intervention. But it also goes to prove that the human body can withstand a heck of a lot more than we give it credit for. Thanks for stopping in!
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That’s a thrill ride story for the ages.
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Something out of the paranormal I think…a taste of the Twilight Zone here.
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Crusader – Another favorite fighter jet.
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Glad you like it.
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Wow what a story – thats one lucky guy! I’ve Never heard of anything like this before. Thanks for sharing it.
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I have Ian at Aussie Emu for this one – almost couldn’t believe it myself!
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Where’s the stuntman when you need him ?!? Hollywood couldn’t make up anything more terrifying than this. I cannot believe he survived, but the sheer ‘cool’ factor of those fighter pilots is truly something that makes them invincible.
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Good lead-in line there – I’d be looking for a stuntman too!! They are a breed among themselves, for sure.
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Omigosh, that is totally incredible, GP!
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When Ian sent the story to me, I had to give it a “discount-double-check” to be sure it was true!! I know I’m repeating myself, but – Amazing!
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So sorry – my apologies. It is on the post about her family
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Don’t apologise GP. You were doing your best to help.
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Thanks.
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Give her my email
pierre1948@hotmail.com
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Will do.
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The best way to go about it.
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The easiest that’s for sure!
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Good grief! I’d have left skid marks in the sky. Brave man:)
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His might be up there – you never know.
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Judging by the description of his injuries, it’s clear he just came across my ex…
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You are TOO funny !! Now I REALLY don’t know how he survived!!!
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As it has been said, he was full of the right stuff. Incredible story of not giving up…
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I agree, Koji. Almost couldn’t believe it, but then again – in Nature, most anything is possible, eh?
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What a journey. God must have had plans for him.
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I can’t think of any other explanation!
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wow – that’s an impressive and scary story.
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Yes, quite a story discovered by our fellow blogger and Aussie friend, Ian.
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Amazing tale!
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I so agree!
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What a story! I can’t imagine how he survived. Looks like I have some reading to do. I see the book is still available on Amazon.
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Good for you, John.
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Thanks for this fascinating tale. He must surely have been one of the luckiest men in the history of aviation.
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I can totally agree with that statement, John!!
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Holy Cow!!!!
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So amazing, is it not?!
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Beyond amazing! Wow!!!
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Reblogged this on First Night History.
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Thank you, Sarah – it’s greatly appreciated.
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I remember reading a version of this in “The Cloudspotter’s Guide” by Gavin Pretor-Pinney a few years ago. It’s a real cliff-hanger of a tale.
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It sure is!!
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Yikes – that sounds terrifying. I am glad he survived to tell the tale.
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Being thrown around by nature has got to be terrifying! Thanks for reading this.
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Had to read that again gp, that is surely one amazing escapade.
Cheers.
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It just wasn’t his time!!
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What a story to pass on to grandkids, read a story once of a pilot who fell from 40,000 feet over Germany without a chute, landed in a snowdrift, captured and interned, Germans authenticated the feat and gave him a certificate verifying the fact. Cheers.
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I guess it helps to prove that it’s only ‘when your number comes up.’
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Like to think when my number comes up I have left a few story’s behind gp.
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We have some of your stories here and some on your site – I’m sure you have more tho!!
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Quite a few more gp, at the moment doing the story of my introduction to Vietnam in 1970.
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Fantastic, I knew you did!!
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Now that, was one lucky man. The Crusader was a magnificent aircraft, the ‘last of the gunfighters’ and to my knowledge, was the only gun-armed fighter in the USN inventory in Vietnam and claimed the best kill ratio of any American aircraft type during the Vietnam war. Strangely, the Crusader stayed firmly in the shadows of the F-4 but remains an icon of aviation history. Thanks for such a fantastic post GP.
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You are very welcome, Rich. The added info goes well with the article, Thanks.
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Amazing story.
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I sure thought it was, David. Thanks for coming by!
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SNAFU is an appropriate expression to put with this post. What an ordeal!
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Something else, eh?! Ian sure found a good one!
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Sounds like 40 minutes of sheer terror GP. He was lucky to survive to tell the tale, and to live to a good age.
Best wishes, Pete.
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In tales like these, you have to believe – it wasn’t his time – his number didn’t come up!
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